GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Dathan Ritzenhein, who began his running career as a standout at Rockford High School, will be coming home to finish it.

The 31-year-old three-time Olympian said Friday he plans in June to move with his family from Portland, Ore., and back to the Grand Rapids area.

“It’s something that’s always been in the back of my mind, and it would only get harder to come back as our kids get older,” Ritzenhein said. “And no matter what, I always wanted to come back to West Michigan and Grand Rapids area.

“I don’t think I would have been happy if I didn’t come back. This is really where my heart is.”

His wife, Kalin Toedebusch, is also from Rockford. The couple has two children, daughter Addison, 6, and son Jude, 3.

Ritzenhein, who is here this week for the Fifth Third River Bank Run, said he will continue to train for competitive racing this fall, but it will be in Grand Rapids. He will still be sponsored by Nike and work with longtime coach Alberto Salazar, but no longer be a part of the Nike Oregon Project.

“They just want to see me succeed,” Ritzenhein said of his relationship with Nike. “I’ll be happier here, and I’ll do better here.”

With the move, Ritzenhein said he will serve as an assistant coach with the Grand Valley State distance runners under the direction of coach Jerry Baltes. That, he said, will allow him to work with athletes - something he want to do more of in the future - and also train at the Kelly Family Sports Center on the GVSU campus.

Ritzenhein is a 2001 Rockford High School graduate who has the third-fastest marathon time by an American, achieved in 2012. He also is the former American 5,000-meter record holder. He has been in three Olympics: 2004 and 2012 in the 10,000 meters and 2008 in the marathon.

He currently is on the mend from a sports hernia, which caused him to withdraw from the Boston Marathon last month.

"Him being here is going to be a huge boost to West Michigan distance running," said Greg Meyer, the elite athlete coordinator for the River Bank Run and Ritzenhein's longtime friend. "Not only do I think it will help that he will be training here, but a lot of other elite athletes will gravitate and want to train with him. He's that kind of ambassador for the sport. He can have an impact."

The Ritzenheins: Dathan, wife Kalin and children Addison and Jude.Courtesy photo

The family has lived in Portland since 2007, but Ritzenhein said he began speaking with people in the Grand Rapids running community two years ago about moving back. That interest, he added, accelerated about a year ago when shifted solely to marathons and road racing.

In January, he met with local representatives from Gazelle Sports about developing future running initiatives in Grand Rapids, including creation a club team at some point.
“My wife and I made the decision that we want to get back now, and told them all that (future plans) can be a work in progress and I’ll keep training,” he said.

Ritzenhein said his family has not decided where to live yet, although a return to Rockford where both have ties is a strong possibility. They have homes to sell in Eugene and Portland, and Ritzenhein said he will continue to volunteer with the University of Oregon track team until its season is completed in June.

“This has nothing to do with Portland or my relationship with Alberto or anything like that,” Ritzenhein said. “It’s just a matter of it was time.”